Rangers coach Alain Vigneault could have been upset Tuesday, but he decided to keep his opinions to himself.
Following the Blueshirts’ unsightly 4-1 win over the Ducks, Vigneault first could have been upset about a possible hit-from-behind from Anaheim forward Logan Shaw, burying alternate captain Derek Stepan face-first into the boards near the Ducks’ bench early in the third period.
The hit drew no penalty, the only infractions coming when Jimmy Vesey and Joseph Cramarossa went off for coinciding roughing minors following their little tussle — and the Rangers happened to score on the ensuing 4-on-4 to extend their lead to 3-1.
“They just felt it wasn’t a penalty,” Vigneault said, describing the explanation he got from referees Chris Rooney and Dan O’Rourke.
Stepan briefly went to the locker room, but did not go through concussion protocol and returned shortly thereafter.
Later in the third, Kevin Hayes was called for delay of game when he flipped a puck over the Rangers bench, it hit the glass behind the bench and went out of play. The Rangers were trying to show the refs that it hit the glass before going out, but Hayes said the call came from league offices in Toronto which ruled otherwise.
“Replay for us showed that it did hit the glass, referees said it didn’t,” Vigneault said. “So what you have to do is kill the penalty, and that’s what we focused on doing.”
The Rangers’ penalty kill went 4-for-4 over eight minutes.
Hayes had an assist in his return to the lineup after missing the previous five games with a presumed left-knee injury. He went back to centering a line with J.T. Miller (two assists) and Michael Grabner (two goals), as the three fell right back into their roles as consistent contributors.
“First couple shifts were basically just get it on my stick and get it off,” said Hayes, who finished with 16:35 of ice time, including 2:40 on the penalty kill. “Thought I had some good looks, tried to focus defensively. Overall, I thought it was pretty good.”
Vigneault collected career win No. 600, and is now 178-98-23 with the Rangers, which was tied for the second-most wins in the league (and most in the Eastern Conference) during his tenure on Broadway going into Tuesday night.
“Good players,” was his reaction to the milestone, as he is 15th on the NHL’s all-time wins list and fifth among active head coaches. “You need good players and that’s what I’ve been fortunate to have.”
With Hayes’ return, forwards Matt Puempel and Brandon Pirri were both healthy scratches. Puempel had played in five straight, while Pirri was a scratch for the third straight game.
Defenseman Adam Clendening was scratched for the fourth straight game, as Marc Staal was able to play an assertive game after battling the flu the previous few days.
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